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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Felony Murder and Robbery |
Sentence: |
20 years to life imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
26.45 |
Year Crime: |
1978 |
Year Convicted: |
1980 |
Year Cleared: |
2012 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
District of Columbia |
County or Region of Crime: |
District of Columbia |
City of Crime: |
Washington DC |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"Santae A. Tribble was codefendant of Cleveland Wright. Both were wrongly convicted after seperate trials of charges related to the death of a Washington D.C. cabdriver in an early morning robbery on July 26, 1978. The prosecutions case was based on two informants who exchanged their testimony for special consideration and an FBI Crime Lab technician testified that hairs recovered from a ski mask believed to have been worn by the murderer were similar to Tribble's hair. Santae Tribble was 17 when arrested in 1978 and he was tried as an adult. After his conviction by a jury on January 21, 1980 of armed robbery and felony murder, he was sentenced on May 12, 1980 to 20 years to life in prison. He was released from prison on parole on August 18, 2003 after almost 25 years in custody, but then spent an additional 2 years, four months, and twelve days in prison for four probation violations that occurred between August 11, 2005 and Septembe 20, 2011. Tribble's case was one of the cases The Washington Post publicized in an article about convictions based on suspect hair evidence. DNA testing unavailable at the time of Tribble's trial excluded him as the source of the hairs recovered from the mask. In April 2012 Tribble's lawyer filed a motion for a new trial and the Washington DC district attorney filed a response that it wouldn't oppose the motion or retry him if it was granted. On May 14, 2012 the judge's order was filed vacating Tribble's conviction and sentence and dismissing the murder charge. Tribble was incarcerated for a total of almost 25 years. Cleveland Wright was also charged in the murder, but he was tried separate from Tribble. Wright served more then 28 years in prison before his release on parole in 2007. Wright's convictions were overturned and the charges dismissed on January 28, 2014 based on the same DNA testing that exonerated Tribble.Wright was granted a certificate of innocence in May 2015. Tribble filed a claim for compensation under the District of Columbia's Unjust Imprisonment Act. On February 26, 2016 D.C. Superior Court Judge John M. Mott awarded Tribble $13,234,527 -- $400,000 for each year he was imprisoned (26 yrs, five months, and ten days x $400,000 = $10,575,343); $955,963 in lost wages; $412,082 in medical expenses; $100,000 for each year Tribble was on parole (Five years, ten months, and sixteen days x $100,000 = $586,570); $100,000 for each year from Tribble's release from parole until June 9, 2019 (Seven years and 24 days x $100,000 = $706,569); There was testimony during the proceedings that Tribble is expected to die in 2019 from advanced diseases. Santae Tribble was represented in his civil suit by the New York City lawfirm of Neufeld Scheck & Brustin, LLP. Two of the partners in NS&B are Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, co-founders of the non-profit Innocence Project in New York. Wrights' compensation claim under the Dist of Columbia's Unjust Imprisonment Act was pending as of July 5, 2016." |
Conviction Caused By: |
"An FBI Crime Lab technician testified that hairs recovered from a ski mask found near the murder scene were similar to Tribble's hair, and two informants exchanged their testimony for favorable treatment." |
Innocence Proved By: |
"On May 14, 2012 the judge's order was filed vacating Tribble's conviction and sentence and dismissing the murder charge based on exculpatory post-conviction DNA testing." |
Defendant Aided By: |
"Innocence Project NY (Criminal case.) Civil case represented in wrongful imprisonment lawsuit by the law firm of Peter Neufeld, Barry Scheck, & Nick Brustin (NS&B)." |
Compensation Awarded: |
"$13,234,527 (Dist. Of Columbia, Feb 26, 2016)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
17 |
Age When Released: |
42 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Black |
Information Source 1: |
"Santae Tribble’s 1980 murder conviction overturned by D.C. judge, By Spencer S. Hsu (staff), The Washington Post, May 16, 2012" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/santae-tribbles-1980-murder-conviction-overturned-by-dc-judge/2012/05/16/gIQApYMtTU_story.html |
Information Source 2: |
"Prosecutors agree - Murder conviction of D.C. man should be overturned, By Spencer S. Hsu (staff), The Washington Post, April 27, 2012" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/prosecutors-agree-murder-conviction-of-dc-man-should-be-overturned/2012/04/27/gIQAD2gXmT_story.html |
Information Source 3: |
"D.C. man served 28 years, Then the evidence that sent him to prison fell apart, By Spencer S. Hsu (staff), The Washington Post, April 16, 2012" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/2012/04/16/gIQAbndgMT_story.html |
Information Source 4: |
"Judge orders D.C. to pay $13.2 million in wrongful FBI hair conviction case, By Spencer S. Hsu (Staff), The Washington Post, February 28, 2016" |
Information Location 4: |
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/judge-orders-dc-to-pay-132-million-in-wrongful-fbi-hair-conviction-case/2016/02/28/da82e178-dcde-11e5-81ae-7491b9b9e7df_story.html |
Information Source 5: |
"Santae A. Tribble v. Dist. Of Columbia, No. 2013 CA 003237 B (Superior Ct of Dist. Of Columbia, 2-26-2016) (Finds Of Fact & Conclusions Of Law, awarding " |
Information Location 5: |
http://www.nsbcivilrights.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/DE-67_Findings-of-Fact-and-Conclusions-of-Law_022616.pdf |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org